What Is the Name of the Boat in "Moby Dick"?

The name of the boat in "Moby Dick" is the Pequod, which is also the name of a Native American tribe that lived in the northeastern United States.

The author, Herman Melville, based his detailed description of the three-masted Pequod on his own experiences as a member of a whaling crew. The ship had survived many powerful storms and long voyages at sea while generating healthy profits for its Quaker owners. Most of the action in "Moby Dick" takes place either on the Pequod or on the ship's whaleboats. The whale's deadly attack on the ship at the novel's conclusion was also based on true events. The whaleship Essex was sunk by a sperm whale in 1820.